


Freaks are never normal

by blurryfaceThalia



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, Supernatural, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Badass Women, Crossover, Demigods, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hurt, Juno might kill a man, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-01-30 19:17:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21433345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blurryfaceThalia/pseuds/blurryfaceThalia
Summary: Juno is a demigod. When studying law at Stanford, she forms a bond with the cute Sam Winchester, realizing he is a lot like her.Until a night full of terror and fire sucks her into a life she could have never imagined, but she did what she did best: Staying by his side.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. Pilot 1/3 - No Below

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnzNbEk0wUg>

> _"You didn't know me when you were a kid_  
_In trouble at school, alone at lunch again_  
_I didn't know you when I broke my knee_  
_Spent the summer on crutches and everybody teased_  
_Except for this one friend I almost forgot"_

It wasn’t the fact that she was literally moving to the other side of the continent that made Juno nervous. It was mostly the concern everyone around her showed her. It wouldn’t be too hard, living on her own, right? She had managed to survive two wars between Gods and Titans and Demigods and monsters, for goodness sake! That had to count for something!

Jason, her twin brother, was, in fact, the one who drove her crazy the most. “Dammit, Jason, stop twitching!”  
He suddenly stopped and looked at her wide-eyed, before noticing his own leg bouncing. He just smiled nervously and scratched his neck, trying to look sorry. Juno rolled her eyes. He wasn’t sorry in the slightest. At least he was helping, Juno thought. There was still a lot of her stuff to unpack, and she didn’t want to be alone when she tried to find her way around the campus.

The idea of going to college hadn’t been an old one. Like she said, wars and monsters were stuff that got her mind occupied most of the time. Sometimes even moody gods. All in all, growing up and being an adult somehow never played a major part in her mind. Probably because demigods, especially powerful demigods like her, often died in horrible ways, never growing old. She had seen too many of their own die to have high hopes for herself.

Still, here she was. It wasn’t until she celebrated her 18th birthday, that she suddenly had to think about her future. After a very panic-y day, and lots and lots of ice cream, she sat down with her friends and thought about realistic options. It didn’t help that Jason just wanted to continue his life between Camp Halfblood and New Rome, and didn’t really understand her want to _do_ something, to _become_ someone important. He had found his role to be the messenger between the greeks and the romans.

And Juno wanted to help, too. As they sat together, they remembered some of their weirdest stories, Percy blowing up the Gateway Arch, for example. That made her realize. Mortals, humans, usually couldn’t see monsters; they were protected by something called the Mist. It showed mortals what they wanted to see – Percy as a terrorist, for example, even though he just wanted to defend himself from an echidna. Demigods got in trouble a lot, with the law too. So, she thought, they would need someone to defend them if they ever needed legal counsel. Usually demigods weren’t living in public, or even got to be so old to need something like that, really, but this generation seemed different; they had Nico, the son of Hades, they had Percy, the son of Poseidon and of course, the twins Jason and Juno, who were the children of Zeus and Jupiter, which was another matter too complicate to explain it right now.

If anything, Juno would try to become a lawyer. It might not work out. There might be a monster attacking her and getting her kicked out before the first semester was over, she might get overwhelmed from the workload, but nevertheless, she would try. Juno would never forgive herself if she didn’t at least try.

So, she started applying to colleges, and even though Jason didn’t encourage her, she sometimes would find pamphlets of colleges randomly in their cabin. It was rather a surprise when Stanford accepted her with a full ride thanks to her abilities and success in kickboxing. Stanford, Jason had said and handed her the letter, and she had said thank you, and put it away to never look at it again. She was too afraid to open it, and a week passed before Jason had enough.  
“Fuck it.”, he had said, and tore it open, and pressed it into her hand. “What does it say?”  
Juno pinched her eyes, trying to read the running letters. “Congratulations…”  
Jason stopped. “Congratulations?”, he breathed.  
“Yes.”, Juno answered and put her hand over her mouth. “I’m going to Stanford.”  
“You’re…”, Jason jumped to hug her, “You’re going to Stanford!”

“Maybe the college in New Rome would have been the better option, Juno.”  
“Don’t you start again.”, Juno groaned. “I get it. I really do. But please stop.”  
They tried to get all of Juno’s boxes to her room, unharmed, but they were heavy and maybe a little more than they should have taken in one go.  
“I don’t think you do.”, he mumbled, and Juno had enough.  
She came to a halt, (they didn’t really know where they were going, anyway. Stanford was a maze worse than the one of Daedalus.), and put her boxes down. “You don’t think I do?!”, she asked, exasperated. “You know this is bullshit!”  
“Juno, I’m just-,“  
“You’re worried, you don’t want us to be separated, you think I won’t manage myself alone. Stop! Yes, I get it! But you won’t change my mind about this!”  
“Juno…”, Jason began again, but she stopped him with a gesture of her hand.

She took the boxes again, but stumbled a bit, right into a stranger trying to pass her.  
“Woah.”, he said and stabilized her tower, “Need any help with that?”  
“Thanks.”, Juno said, still grumpy. The boy took half of her boxes, and she watched him carefully. Very tall, dark brown hair with a fringe and eyes that appeared to be a mix of green and brown. _Cute_, she thought. Maybe her mood could improve a bit.

“You’re welcome.”, he smiled.  
Jason blew some air out of his nose and walked past them, leaving them behind, bringing her to roll her eyes.

“Everything okay?”, the stranger asked, watching Jason trampling away.  
“Yeah”, Juno sighed, “let me introduce you two my overprotective twin, Jason, who has no idea where he’s going. I’m Juno, by the way.”  
“Oh right, I’m Sam.”, he introduced himself, his smile turned sad. “Having family troubles, then?”  
“Wouldn’t call it that, my brother is just convinced I won’t survive on my own. He’s just an old worrywart.”

It got quiet between them for a second, then Juno put the boxes down again and searched for her room number. “Do you live on Campus? Can you show me the way?”  
“Sure.”, Sam replied. “This way.”

Sam lead her through the packed corridors, and Juno was sure that Jason went the wrong way. Well, he would find them eventually. Maybe he would have calmed down then, too. She wouldn’t go and search for him, because she was sure it would end in a fight, and she really had no nerve for that.  
Once they had found her room, she noticed it was already somewhat decorated, her roommate had already moved in. It looked neat and tidy, and she had left her space for her own stuff and the bed near the door, which was more than fine for her. Juno just put the boxes down, and looked at Sam again.  
“So”, she said, “You don’t happen to know where the gym is, or do you?”

Sam chuckled. “I do know, actually.”  
“Would you be willing to spare with me?”  
He looked surprised. “I’ve already worked out, today. But if you want to let off some steam…”  
“I’d love to.”

Juno changed really quick into a sports bra, some fitting pants and a shirt, and off they went. She left a note for her roommate, who would probably back before her and warned her about a grumpy Jason. But she didn’t really worry, Jason would never be unfair or unkind to somebody, certainly not when they didn’t do anything wrong. It was just a safety measure and maybe a first nice contact for her roommate.

She and Sam walked in relative silence, only broken by some occasional questions. (“Where are you from?” “New York. You?” “Wow, that’s quite away from home. I’m originally from Lawrence, Kansas.” “Originally?” “The last years my family and me lived more in our car and motels than anything else.” “Oh.” “Yeah.”)  
He seemed mysterious, and maybe a little nervous, even. She didn’t blame him. Juno second guessed herself; she shouldn’t have asked him if he’d want to spare with her right away. They didn’t know each other, and Juno seemed intimidating to strangers, and she would scare him off when he saw how she fought. Boys didn’t like getting their asses kicked.

Arriving at the gym she grinned and looked around. This was the place she would have to spend a fairly high amount of time so she wouldn’t lose her scholarship. It smelled like sweat and disinfectant. It looked rather modern, with a ring in the middle, surrounded by equipment. Sam looked at her expectantly, and with a smile she started to warm herself up, Sam following suit.  
“Ready?”, Juno asked him, and he nods. “Just know, I’m good at fighting. It’s not too late to back out.”  
“I think I’ll be fine, thanks.”  
Juno shrugged. “Alright.”

Sam shrugged his jacket off and let it fall outside of the ring; Juno noticed the scars that were now visible. She didn’t focus on it, though. They stood in front of each other, changing into a fighting stance.  
“Scared?”, Sam asked, when she didn’t advance first. “You can still back out.”  
Juno just laughed and then charged at him.

You need to know a thing about fights; real fights usually only last a couple of minutes. You tire out so fast, that it’s more about getting the first good hit in, while staying uninjured. But when you’re fighting for sports, and not your life, there are rules. And breaks, normally.  
Juno and Sam respected the rules, and they respected the other; after Sam got to feel the power behind Juno’s attacks, he got more serious, and once Juno was sure Sam could match her abilities, she didn’t hold back.  
That lasted a long time. Demigods were made for fighting, and Juno was surprised Sam was only a little out of breath. He had to be trained somehow.

“Juno!”  
Jason appeared in the gym, a relieved look on his face. Juno rolled her eyes and smiled apologetic at Sam. “Yes, the one and only. Look, I survived an hour without you.”  
She was shooting daggers with her eyes, dripping with sarcasm. Juno was just pissed off.

“I meant it. You don’t understand.”  
Juno huffed a breath. “Jason-“  
“No!”, he interrupted her. “Please let me finish. I’m not worried about you.”  
Juno raised her eyebrows.  
“I mean, I am! It’s just not my point. I know that you can manage to be on your own just fine.”  
“Then what is it, Jason?”, she said more softly this time.

Sam stayed in the ring, while Juno went to Jason and rubbed his back. He seemed really upset. And Sam only watched with heavy eyes, thinking about his brother. Maybe he should give him a call.

“I’m not sure I can manage to be on my own. We spend most of our life’s apart, and I just didn’t know we would be separated so soon again…”  
“Oh, Jason.” Juno went and hugged him. “It’s not like we will forget about each other again, okay? We will talk, and you can come meet me, and I will visit you when you’re at the camp. We’re not two years old anymore.”  
Jason reached under his glasses and wiped a tear away. “You promise?”  
“You will be alright. I promise.”

Maybe it was just laziness, maybe they didn’t want to find new friends, or maybe they just sensed there was something different about the other – something that reminded them of themselves. Either way, after this day Juno and Sam stayed together and spend their time with each other, first in silence, then in smiles. They shared the training room in the mornings without ever talking. That was time no word was allowed to corrupt. Afterwards, they would get breakfast, and after they ran out of topics for small talk, they even had some real, deep conversations.  
Juno never had a friend like this before. She wished he would have met him sooner, in school when she was struggling to fit in; not knowing Sam was feeling quite the same. When she was watching him train, secretly of course, she couldn’t help but think he might be like her. Maybe he was a demigod, too. Sam was a trained fighter, and not just for sports; she caught him flinching when approaching him from behind. His eyes seemed to take in more than possible for anyone else, he was used to great injuries, he had scars all over, and most importantly, he had family problems. If that wasn’t enough evidence, Juno swore she would eat a shoe.

Sam, on the other hand, recognized the haunted look in Juno’s eyes from great tragedies and the burden on shoulders too small to carry it; she was a skilled fighter, but it seemed more than just fighting to win – no, Juno fought to survive. Sam was sure she was like him. He never asked her; it wasn’t his place to inquire.

So, they both thought they had each other all figured out. Being sure that they understood each other perfectly without words, they got even closer than before. Simple touches seemed to linger, they were comfortable with the other in their personal space; sometimes they would sit on Sam’s bed, studying, their legs draped over each other.  
It wasn’t weird, and they never talked about it, and when Juno felt weird tugging in her stomach the first semesters of being near Sam, she ignored it and buried in the back of her head, to never see the light of day again. She wasn’t one for relationships. Not only did it mean heartbreak most of the time, but demigods also got into trouble a lot, and she didn’t want anyone to be pulled into this kind of dangerous life.

Even her roommate, a blonde girl named Jessica, turned out more than alright and they got along fine. She would even dare to call her a friend, too. Sometimes they sat and talked all night, or they worked on assignments together. Jessica was an English literature student, and she helped Juno with her reading, whenever she wouldn’t be able to find a recording of one of her textbooks (her dyslexia made it hard to read, not to mention concentrate on studying. And legal studies meant a _lot_ of studying.) 

Most professors were considerate of her and her dyslexia, they gave her more time on exams, simply because it was a struggle to even read the questions, and they overlooked her grammar, thank the gods. It wasn’t a secret she struggled with studying a lot, but she worked really hard – she listened to the recording’s day and night, until she could recite everything in sync with the narrator. Her grades were good, maybe even great. All in all, it went fine. She managed college, she had friends, and almost no monsters found her in the masses of normal students.

Once she was sure the friendship with Jessi and Sam was meant to last, she proposed a meeting for all three of them; and they hit it off surprisingly well. And when Jessi and Sam seemed to spend time together, without her, Juno ignored the pit in her stomach and moved on. They were always there for her, nevertheless, and nothing changed between them.

Quick hook ups and one-night stands was all she felt ready for, until Ronan came around. He was a dude from Jessi’s literature class, and she introduced them on a party, shortly before she and Sam vanished together. Juno told herself she didn’t mind, and they got on pretty well. Three months into something Juno would call a relationship (which was a record to be honest), Ronan asked her how many times she had fucked Sam to get his help on exams.

Juno had caused a storm after that; she didn’t scream, she didn’t attack him, but the thunder outside let everyone who knew about her realize something was up. After Jessi saw Juno crying and curled up, she called Sam, and together they ate ice cream and watched bad romcoms. Entangled and ingulfed in warmth, with her favorite people beside her, Juno felt alright again. They went and egged the window of his apartment the next day nevertheless.

A bond had formed between the three of them. And while Sam and Juno continued to share their morning trainings in silence, Jessi and Sam spent the evenings, and sometimes nights. Juno was okay. Life was okay. Until one fateful day.


	2. Pilot 2/3 – Cutting ties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Death, Grief

[Dreams of William - Daughter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJqMxGQ8r-o&list=RDhnzNbEk0wUg&index=10)

> "Where will I go  
When the only home I've known  
Is ashes now?
> 
> Now  
How will I know  
When the only love I'm shown  
Is so changeable?
> 
> How do I grow then  
When I've been alive  
For the best part of my life?  
Feeling alone  
Feeling alone with you.
> 
> Without you.  
With you.”

It started with a dream.

Demigods tended to dream about things, that either have happened, are happening right now or will happen in the near future. It’s often confusing, because no one knows which category a dream belongs to before it’s too late.

She dreamed of Jason, and arrows, and blood. So much blood. “Go!”, he screamed at somebody, “Remember!”, but Juno didn’t know what he could mean. Did she have to remember something?  
She awoke drenched in sweat, with her stomach in turmoil. It was hard to breathe, and her heart pounded in her throat; and she couldn’t seem to form a clear thought.

What kind of dream was that? If Jason was in danger….  
She heaved herself out of her bed, alone, because Jess had spent the night with Sam. Better for her, anyway, because so she could try to Iris message him. Juno went into the bathroom, distantly wondering about how late it was, for it was still deep black outside, and turning the faucet with the hot water all the way on, creating some mist. Meanwhile, she got a drachma, and then set up some lights to create a fake-rainbow.

"Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering.", she said, throwing the drachma into the rainbow, “Please show me Jason Grace…”, she frowned for a moment, thinking. “…Location unknown.”

The Iris-Message didn’t get through, which made her worry even more. Iris always found the desired subjects, except when you can’t remember them clearly, or they’re… dead. But he couldn’t be dead. Some god or goddess had their hands in this mess, she was sure of it. Like that one time, where Hera erased her memories and sent her to the roman Camp Jupiter, while Jason was sent without memories to her Greek home, Camp Halfblood. She couldn’t reach Annabeth then, either, and he hadn’t been dead. Jason wasn’t dead. No, no, no.

Instead, she messaged Chiron.  
At least this call came through. “Hello?”, she said. She could make out Chiron’s outline. He was sleeping, which confirmed her thought that it was still night. “Chiron.”, she tried to wake him up, feeling too unwell to even begin to feel guilty.  
Chiron still only stirred.  
“Chiron!”

“Huh?”, he finally answered, more or less. At least he seemed to take in his surroundings, until noticing her. “Juno? Is something wrong?”  
“… I don’t know.”  
“Did you dream?”  
“Yes.”, she answered. “It’s about Jason.”

While she explained her take on what she remembered her dream to be about, she could see a frown form on Chiron’s face.  
“He’s away, on a quest right now, Juno. I’ve heard from him yesterday the last time, and he seemed on edge, but fine otherwise. Have you tried to contact him?”  
“Yes, but the call didn’t get through.”  
“That’s worrisome.”, he said, “I will also try to get in contact with him and send out a search party. Maybe you should inform your sister, too.”  
“Yes. Thank you. I will.”

Thalia was as worried as her, even though she tried not to show it.  
“We will find him. Don’t worry, baby.” That nickname sounded so weird out of Thalia’s mouth. Technically Thalia was seven years older than her, but at fifteen she got turned into a tree so she wouldn’t die (which is bullshit, of course. But that was Zeus reasoning.) and shortly after she was back with the living, she joined the hunters of Artemis, which made her immortal. So, Thalia still looked like fifteen, maybe sixteen – and Juno was now twenty. She had outgrown her big sister, and it made her heart ache.  
“You honestly can’t call me baby anymore. I’m older than you.”  
Thalia pointed at her temples, “Not in my mind, you’re not. I can still see you when you were only sooooo big….”, she said, cradling her arms like she had a newborn in them.

Thalia was the one who raised her. Her mother was no mother at all, because she went crazy for fame after the god of thunder noticed her, on two separate occasions. When Hera kidnapped Jason, while they were only two years old, Thalia took Juno and ran away, because she blamed their mother.

Like Juno said before, her family story was complicated. Very complicated.

“Will Artemis allow you to send a search party for him?”  
“I will search for him myself, if I have to.”, she growled, “But I don’t think she will refuse help.”  
“Okay.”, Juno says, because there’s nothing more to say, and her throat hurts again.  
“Okay.”, Thalia repeated. “Everything will be okay.”

After everything she could do was done, she sat and waited, twiddling her thumbs. Her stomach felt worse every passing minute. The worry was just too big.  
Jason hadn’t even told her he was going on a quest. He always told her everything, so why wouldn’t he this time?

It was barely morning, but she couldn’t keep just sitting around, so she threw on her training clothes and went into the gym earlier than usually. Sam wouldn’t be there until 6am, and it was hardly 5am.  
But after the unsettling feeling didn’t go away while throwing some punches and kicks at the punching bag, she laid down in the middle of the gym and closed her eyes, trying to calm her breath.

Juno was itching to search for Jason herself, but it was time for finals, and she couldn’t just leave – not, when she really wanted to pass. And she had worked too hard to just fail at her new beginning.  
Jason would be fine. He had to be.

After what seemed to be forever Sam entered the gym, raising an eyebrow at her. Not wanting to break their agreement to spend their mornings in silence, she just shrugged and moved into the ring. A clear invitation that Sam immediately accepted.

But Juno was out of her rhythm. Too worried to really focus on their fight, she drifted into her mind more than once, waking up suddenly when Sam managed to get a hit in. After the third time, he stopped. Juno didn’t even notice at first.

“Juno, what’s going on?”

All the time they had their routine down, Juno took pride in how they understood each other with simple gestures, nods of their heads or the raise of a brow. Therein lies so much intimacy and trust. She felt even worse, now that she forced him to break their little habit, even though it was irrational.

Instead of an answer she just grimaced.

“Seriously Juno.” When Sam saw she wouldn’t answer, he pushed farther. “Please. Talk to me.”  
“It’s just…”, she breathed, remembering their first encounter, palms sweaty, “… Family troubles. Something… feels wrong.”  
“Can I help?”  
Of course there was no way her stomach dropped, or her heart fluttered. She was in no way affected by him, and when she was, she pushed it back into the depths of her mind. Only Sam would not ask questions, and just try to be there for her. “Just wait with me for news.”, she sighed and added a second later: “Please.”  
“Of course.”

This day, he wouldn’t leave her side. Jess left them alone without a word, and Juno wondered when the three had become so close that no one would question the other anymore. She was thankful for them like she had never been before.  
And when Sam held her hand or squeezed her shoulder whenever she seemed to drift away, she simply swallowed and tried to carry on with her day.

After classes, though, she couldn’t wait anymore. She said goodbye to Sam, who looked after her dumbfounded, and went outside. When Sam followed after her just seconds later, there was a thunder rumbling in the distance, and no trace left of Juno.

Sam didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know how to search for Juno, who disappeared just like _that_ without telling him where she went. For all he knew she could lay dead in a ditch somewhere, and he wouldn’t know until some incapable cop found her and broke the news to them.  
And when he grumbled the whole day, worried sick, Jessica smiled and put it aside. He didn’t _know_, and she wondered how their lives would have went if one of them was just a little bit more open, just a little bit more comfortable with emotions. But she could understand him, Jess was worried, too.  
  


Sam and Jess camped out in the dorm that Jess and Juno shared, but Juno didn’t come back this night. Even though Sam didn’t exactly expect Juno to appear at their daily ritual, he didn’t want to miss the tiny chance, and so he stood 6am sharp in the gym.  
To his surprise, Juno did show up, with a grim expression and shadows under her eyes. She didn’t explain herself, and Sam found himself get angry with her. He didn’t want to push her, but disappearing like that shouldn’t be an option, not if she really trusted them. He didn’t want the story of _his_ family to repeat itself here.

“You’re not gonna talk to me?”  
“We don’t usually talk while training.”  
“This is not usually!”, Sam clarified, “You can’t just disappear on us like that!”  
“If I knew you’d want to have a tea ceremony I wouldn’t have come.”, she snarked at him, unable to contain her own frustration.  
“I don’t want to argue. Just-“, Sam said, “Can you please tell me what’s going on? I could be able to help a lot more than you think I could.”

Juno opened her mouth for an answer, but then loud thunder made her jump on the spot. This was it. The moment of truth. Juno froze and waited who would come through the door in a matter of seconds.  
“What-“, began Sam, but stopped abruptly, when a young girl in punk clothing entered the gym. Her eyes wandered until they found Juno, and in a matter of seconds, Juno broke down, sobbing. The search was finished. Jason hadn’t come home.

Thalia brought Juno home, and sent the guy away. This was none of his business. This was about her family. The family that got reduced to the two of them. Thalia cried with Juno, but she wondered how it must feel to lose their twin, their other half. Grief is a funny thing. You never quite expect it to hit you like it does, and it only seems to become worse.  
Juno stayed home the next few days, like she should have when she first had the dream. Maybe she would have found Jason then, before-

It was too late now.  
Thalia sent Sam and Jess away, whenever they tried to talk to her, but Juno knew that Sam wouldn’t let her push him away anymore, pretty soon. So, the next time he tried to break the door with his knocks, Juno passed Thalia and opened the door herself; greasy and pale like death itself.  
_Hades wouldn’t appreciate Jokes like that_, she thought, but quickly discarded this after seeing Sam’s look.

Today would be the day, which was the reason why she chose to face Sam this time. She couldn’t do it. Not alone. So, she stepped aside and let him in without a word, and gestured for Thalia to do the talking.  
She and Sam sat down on her bed, while Thalia sighed. She didn’t look much better than Juno, Sam thought.

“You met Jason, right?”, Thalia began.  
Sam had so many questions, for example who this girl even was, and why she acted like he was nothing but a annoyance to her, like a child would be – but he sensed this was not the right time for them. “Yes.”, he simply answered, not liking in which direction this was going.  
“Today is his funeral. He died when I visited you.”

Juno was shaking, but Thalia was never one to soften her words. They had always been like daggers, and one of her greatest weapons. If she was the one to hurt themselves with the truth, no one else would be able to do it.

“Oh god.”, Sam stammered, “I’m so sorry.”  
“The gods had nothing to do with it.”, Thalia replied bitter. “Father better-“  
“Sam.”, Juno croaked, and all attention went to her. “I need you to promise me something.”  
Sam nodded, waiting.  
“Promise me you won’t ask. Whatever you see. I do not want to talk about it or explain it in any way.”  
Now Thalia interrupted her. “You can’t seriously think about-“  
“Will you promise me?”  
“I will.”, he hurried to say, “You can tell me everything in your own time.”  
“Then please stay with me today.”

Thalia was shuffling around, trying to clean some of the mess up that they had left in their wake the last few days, while Sam and Juno sat on the bed in silence. Juno was tense, and was trying to push back the thought of clawing into Sam and never letting go again.  
“How are you?”, Sam whispered into her hair, and she wondered when he had begun to hug her.  
“If you have ever lost a loved one, then you know exactly how it feels. And if you have not, then you cannot possibly imagine it.", Juno recited one of her favorite books – _A series of unfortunate events._ Sam knew it well enough.  
_It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one. We all know that our time in this world is limited, and that eventually all of us will end up underneath some sheet, never to wake up. And yet it is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know. It is like walking up the stairs to your bedroom in the dark, and thinking there is one more stair than there is. Your foot falls down, through the air, and there is a sickly moment of dark surprise as you try and readjust the way you thought of things._

“Nothing is right.”, Juno just says, instead of an explicit answer. It had to be enough.

Sam said nothing when they stepped outside and held his hand, and he found himself a deafening noise later somewhere else entirely. He said nothing when they stepped into what seemed to be a summer camp, where lots and lots of teenagers scrambled around. He also said nothing when different creatures accompanied them while the funeral of Jason Grace held place.  
He simply held Juno’s hand, remembering his promise, and that he would get his explanation in time.

He looked around, taking the masses of people in that wanted to pay their last respects to Jason Grace. Sam finally realized that the punk-girl was the sister of Jason and Juno, and he wondered how that could be – didn’t Juno tell him once she had an older sister…? But what was one more question to him now.

Jason’s coffin was a large wooden box with brass fixtures, and Juno was the one who draped the coffin with a shroud made for Jason; it was a deep purple with a lightning bolt, which seemed to have a deeper meaning everyone but him understood.

His mind found explanations for the things he saw as they went along; clearly this was a spot for hunters to let their kids grow up, maybe teaching them companionship, how to fight, how to hunt and kill. And how to know the difference between good and bad creatures.  
After all, this was a hunter’s funeral. They cremated his body, and even Sam felt tense, for he had come to know the young man himself pretty good. Death was nothing new to him, but he felt for Juno in a way he couldn’t quite comprehend.

He still held her hand, but she started to shake more and more – but when he turns to comfort her, Sam realizes it’s anger that’s holding her heart right now.  
“Juno”, Sam whispers, unable to think of a way to calm her down.  
“How could they have let this happen?”, Juno said, anger barely contained. “They don’t give a fuck. Father didn’t save him. No one warned us. How dare they.”  
“Juno.”, this time Thalia reached for her sister. The funeral had been so quiet, everyone’s attention was now on Juno’s words.

“How does he dare.”, Juno repeats.  
“I’m sorry, Juno-“, another guy their age, with black hair and sea-green eyes tried to talk to her.  
“You know these questions won’t help.”, the blonde with him reasoned with Juno. “Remember Luke.”

That was not the right thing to say, Sam realized. With a cry, Juno disregarded all her fellow friends, and suddenly they were somewhere else again.  
“Where are we?”, Sam couldn’t help but question this time. It was hard to breathe here. He eyed the people standing in line, seemingly empty and… not quite there.  
“Don’t question me.”

Well, at least she didn’t vanish without him again. Juno stormed off, and Sam was glad he was so tall, so she couldn’t get out of his sight easily. It would be possible to find her again in this masses.  
They almost immediately reached a palace made of glittering black obsidian, with a black marble portico, and the entry hall had a polished bronze floor. He squinted at the guards, because something seemed off about them, but he didn’t have the time to examine further, if he didn’t want to loose Juno.  
“Uncle!”, Juno called, and Sam almost sighed. What the hell kind of friend had he found.

She opened the doors to a wide room with two thrones, only one of them occupied. A man as tall as him sat on it, a little imposing to him, with albino white skin and intense black eyes. He had shoulder-length hair, with bangs covering most of his forehead. That was Juno’s uncle? They looked nothing alike.

“You shouldn’t just come barging in like that, girl.”  
“Don’t act like you didn’t know I was coming.”, she huffed. “I wouldn’t have reached the palace at all, otherwise.”  
“You can’t bring mortals into my world, Juno.”, her uncle sighed, “You can be glad if I let him go again, at all.”

Sam thought it wise to keep in the background for now. This man made the hair on Sam’s arms stand on its ends.

“You know why I’m here.”  
“And you know I can’t fulfill your wish.”  
“I’m not Orpheus. Let me try.”  
“No.”  
“Uncle-“

“How come that you brats always come to me?”, he growled, “I’m not responsible for their death. I’m just the manager of this world. And you should really watch your tone.”

“But you have him now, haven’t you?”, she asked, exasperated. When her uncle said nothing, she continued, “If you don’t help me, then-“

“Then what?”, he asked dark, and Sam got a very bad feeling about this. “What will you do? You are powerless against us.”  
“You gods”, she snarled, “You think of yourselves so high. But you don’t help us, you just watch from your thrones and feel oh so good about yourselves. We’re just your puppets, aren’t we? Our pain means nothing to you.”

After them entered another man, that resembled the man on the throne, with his black hair and beard. But he had electrically-blue eyes, the same ones he had seen so many times before.

“Fancy seeing you here, father”, Juno just snared, and Sam froze.  
“Watch your-“, he tried, too, but Juno wouldn’t be stopped.  
“I’ve had enough!”, she cried, “My brother and I have suffered enough for you. We have fought, we have won wars for you. And now he has died for you! He died for a god, for Apollo!”

She looked at her father and her uncle, and then she shook her head.  
“You better think hard about your next step, my daughter.”  
“I don’t have to.”, she replied exhausted, “There’s only two options.”

No one moved, but the tension in the room was tense, and he wondered if he should try to stop Juno, before she said something she might regret – but on the other hand, she seemed to be very sure of her view.

“Either you show me that you care about us, and give me my brother back.

“Or you can search, hell, even make yourself another puppet. You seem so awfully good at it. I’ve had enough of you acting like you want to help us, but not moving a single finger to prove what you claim. I know you’re scared of my power, of Percy’s and Nico’s, so _you better think hard about your next step, _father.”

None of them answered, but there seemed to be a storm coming, because the electricity in the room became almost unbearable, and it got darker and darker by the minute.

“So be it.”, she exclaimed, defeated. “Let me be very clear on this. If you try to contact me again, to ask for help, or just to ask how I am doing – Luke will have been a walk in the park against me.”

And then she grabbed Sam’s hand, and with a crack they vanished again.

When Sam blinked, he found himself back in Juno’s and Jess’ dorm. She had let go off his hand, and turned her back to him. He opened his mouth, but she was faster.  
“I truly have lost him.”, she says shakily, “I will never see him again. Jason’s gone.”  
And instead of asking the burning questions, he hugs her and lets them fall unto her bed, holding her while she cries, lets it all out.  
“Can you promise me something else?”, she sobs, and doesn’t look at him.  
“What?”  
“Never leave me.”

He just holds her tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love a comment when you've enjoyed the story so far :)


	3. Pilot 3/3: The Start

Somehow, Junos and Sams morning training didn’t continue after the events a few weeks ago. Or better: Sam stopped showing up. Juno couldn’t exactly blame him – she was certain he was a demigod after all, probably a lower one though, and she had just started a feud with the gods with him at her side. Maybe that hadn’t been the smartest idea, but she didn’t regret it. At all.   
Never again she would suffer through a quest for the gods, to be rewarded with nothing but pain and sorrow.

Juno felt worse each passing day, but she went on with her life. Her scholarship meant training either way and fighting in tournaments, so she had enough on her hands next to learning. Jessica tried to get more than once out of her why Sam seemed to avoid her, but Juno just made up excuses. They were well into their last semester, and learning for their finals was stressful enough.

She missed her brother. And it hurt to think about him.   
At least Jessi still spent a lot of time with her, probably to make sure Juno was okay. Sams absence still felt wrong.

It kinda hurt Juno that Sam avoided her though after he promised to never leave her. But maybe he just needed the time. She didn’t want to talk about what happened anyway, so maybe it was just better this way. Juno tended to just give into whatever Sam thought, as long as it wasn’t completely stupid.

Until one day, Sam approached her again.  
“Hey.”, Sam awkwardly waved. Juno just huffed and ignored him. _It’s not that easy, boy_. “Hey, I’m sorry, but I need to talk to you…”  
“About what?”, she raised her eyebrow.  
“You know about what.”, Sam sighed, “I have thought long and hard about what happened and there are a lot of questions I want to ask you, but I promised I wouldn’t. It answered some questions I had about you, though. I know you are like me.”  
“Yeah no shit, Sherlock. The family troubles gave it away.”  
Sam actually chuckled. “Maybe. But I’ve left this kind of life behind me. And I don’t want anything to do with this. You…”  
“I brought you back into this stuff. I get it.”, Juno said, “Don’t worry. I’m completely done, too. Jason died for this, and I will never forgive them.”

Sam seemed relieved. “Good. Do you want to talk about…?”  
“Jason? What’s there to say?”, Juno almost sounded angry. “I lost my brother. It hurts like hell. I’m not okay. And I won’t be for a while.”  
“Yeah, uh.”, Sam backtracked, “I’m sorry.”  
“Have you called your brother yet?”, she demanded to know instead of an answer. “Have you asked him how he is?”  
“No.”  
“Do it. Or you might regret it someday.”

Her voice wavered, and she was trying so hard not to cry, but as Sam opened his arms and engulfed Juno, she lost it. There’s so much pain inside of her. She doesn’t know what she would do without her friends. Jess had tried so hard to get her out of her shell the last week. Juno knew she wasn’t alone in this.  
“Sam.”  
“Mh?”  
“Don’t ever just avoid me again. I will kick your ass if I have to.”  
“Dully noted.”

And that was it. In the middle of studying-for-finals chaos Jess had the brilliant idea to move in with Sam, and Juno was miserable. Not only did this mean a lot of distraction and hyperfocusation for her adhd, but it also meant she would get a new roommate for her dorm. And it wasn’t about them going the next step. Of course not. Juno wasn’t worried that they would leave her behind, eventually. No, they wouldn’t do that to her. She hoped.  
Her LSAT test was soon, and the result would determine which Law school would take her afterwards. Sam was a calm person, but even he seemed on edge whenever they talked about possible outcomes.

So the couple got a flat near the campus and started packing boxes. Juno didn’t really help. She tried to act as if nothing was wrong, but her anxiety got only worse. They would leave her alone. She wouldn’t be able to go back to camp halfblood again, Artemis and the hunters probably wouldn’t want her near because of her fight with the gods, so Thalia was out, too. Maybe Percy and Annabeth would give her shelter, but she would intrude as much there as she would here at Sam and Jess’ place.   
Fuck, she felt lonely.

She was impossible close with Sam, but Jess was also her best friend. It just wouldn’t be the same without her in this dorm. Or anywhere, really. She would miss all those midnight-talks or last-minute breakdowns and studying together. It was weird that the people she got to know so well separately now know each other better than she ever would. Maybe Juno was jealous. She wasn’t entirely sure.

Her new roommate moved in just a few days ago, but Juno hadn’t really made an effort to get to know her. Her name was Paula and she seemed to like partying a lot, and the last two days she has had guys over, much to Junos dismay. Juno spent her time in the gym, even sleeping there the last night. It already started to get to her. Jess and Sam were busy moving in, and she already felt left out. God, this was so stupid. Of course, they needed time of their own. Juno couldn’t just barge in and demand their time.

When Sam got to the gym for their little ritual, he actually broke their usual silence.   
“There’s something I want to give you.”, Sam smiled, “Actually, _we_ want to give you.”  
He reached into his pocket, his fist closed around something. When he opened his palms, she raised her eyebrow.   
“A key?”  
“To our flat.”, Sam still smiled, “We also have a sleeper sofa, I tested it and it’s pretty comfortable. So you could actually come over whenever you want to-“  
“Wait, this key is a key to _your_ flat? For me?”  
“Uh, yeah, I thought-“

But Sam couldn’t finish his sentence, because Juno already tackled him in a hug. She had no need to worry. She was their family as much as they were hers. A bond that couldn’t be broken by just moving out. Thank the gods. (Actually, don’t. They are assholes and had nothing to do with this whatsoever.)

The finals, the LSAT, came and went, and now all they could do was wait. Sam and her anxiously did so while trying to not think about it too much. When they talked about it, they almost always gave the same answer as the other one did, so they couldn’t exactly compare themselves.   
Juno hoped she could go to the same school as Sam, but even if they didn’t, it wouldn’t change that much.

It was turning October, and the results finally came. Sam crushed it, and Juno did pretty well too. They were celebrating in their own way, not really a fan of alcohol, even when Jess tried to get them to a bar and party as a reward – but instead they rented a car and drove to Poplar beach. Even though the wind was kinda cold, they went swimming, while Jess stayed on her blanket and read a book she brought. It was nice. The schools they applied to would soon enough answer, and it wasn’t in their hands. They had no reason to worry. Life was okay.   
Lucky for her that she knew Poseidon wasn’t out to get her, because she saved Percy’s life more than once. Percy actually taught her how to swim, when the first war against Kronos was over. Before they vanished for eight months.

The day Sam got his letter, he called her, out of breath.   
“I don’t know, Sam. I’m not in my dorm right now.”  
“Then go! Your letter might be there, too! Where even are you?”  
“At the gym. Paula had some guy friend over again. I honestly can’t take this anymore.”  
“At least she gets laid. Stop whining and go look for your letter. I won’t open mine without you.”  
“Fine.”

She wasn’t too worried about not being accepted anywhere, but she still was a little anxious. No way all of the schools would turn her down, but she rather stay at Stanford, hopefully with Sam.   
“I got it, too.”, Juno says.  
“Let’s open it on three.”  
“One.”, Juno chuckles.  
“Two.”  
“Three!”

The sound of ripping paper on both sides – and then: “I got invited to an Interview.”, Sam whispered. “Fuck yes. Juno?”  
“Wait a second, the letters keep running…” Juno squinted her eyes. Then she grins. “Me too! Oh boy, I think we might actually be lawyers someday.”  
“A normal life. Who would’ve thought?”  
“Certainly not me.”

This time they couldn’t avoid Jess’ way of celebrating things. Unfortunate for them, Halloween was around the corner, and she convinced them to go. Sam refused to get a costume, but Juno couldn’t say no too, and she murdered Sam with her eyes. He just grinned back and lifted his broad shoulders.  
Juno shook her head. She didn’t like Sam that way. They were just close. And anyone could see he was deeply in love with Jessica.

She had just come back from costume shopping with Jess, when Juno ran into Sam and Brady, a guy from her courses. She didn’t do much with him, but he was a friend of Sam, because he was actually pretty popular around here. With this looks and his smarts who wouldn’t want to be his friend? Or more, for that matter?  
Anyway, Brady patted Sams shoulder and they said their goodbyes.

“What was that about?”  
“Actually, it’s got something to do with what I have to tell you.”  
“Then spit it out.”

Instead, he just reached into his pocket and pulled out a little box on his palm. Juno needed a second before the penny dropped. “You’re going to ask her to marry you.”, she asked, shocked. “You bastard! You’re really going to marry her?!”  
“If she’ll have me, yes!”, Sam laughed at her reaction.  
“As if she would say no to you, you have the eyes of a fucking puppy.” She boxed into his shoulder. And kept quiet for a second. “Wow, I actually don’t know what to say. Congratulations, I guess.”

“Thank you. You know, Brady is the one who actually convinced me to make a move on Jess, all those years ago. Just wanted to tell him.”  
Juno swallowed hard. This shouldn’t affect her that much. “Well, I hope you thanked him enough. So, when will you do it?”  
“I don’t know yet. I’ll wait for the right moment. No need to hurry. We have all the time in the world.”

Halloween approached, and it was one of the nights she slept on the couch of Sam and Jess, because Paula acted like she owned their dorm room. A sound woke her up. It was Sam, standing in the kitchen and drinking a glass of water.   
“Everything alright?”, Juno asked sleepily.  
“Just a bad dream.”, he answered, voice hoarse.   
“What kind of dream?”, a little more awake now, Juno needed to know if it was a demigod dream or just a nightmare.   
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing.”  
“Alright.”, she sighed, “I’m here if you want to talk about it.”  
“I know.”, Sam replied softly and went back to Jess.

The night they went to the Halloween Party, Juno went to their place to get ready. Jess had forced her to dress as something sexy, but the skeleton outfit she chose wasn’t that revealing luckily. She wasn’t insecure in her body, but being open to every kind of glance was something she rather avoid as much as possible.

She also kept her camp halfblood necklace on. The lightning bolt pendant on it actually was a disguise for her sword. Juno never went anywhere without it, just in case.

“Get a move on, would you?”, Jess yelled into their bedroom, where Sam was hiding. Maybe he was hoping they would leave without him. “We were supposed to be there like fifteen minutes ago.”   
Jess had enough and went to get him. “Sam! You coming or what?”  
Sam poked his head around the door. “Do I have to?”

“Yes!”, both of the girls said, one cheery and one grumpy. “It'll be fun.”, Jess adds. “And where's your costume?” Seems like Jess hadn’t given up after all.   
Sam laughs and ducks his head. “You know how I feel about Halloween.”   
Juno can’t really laugh. Sam looked like he hasn’t slept well in weeks. She wonders what that’s about.

At the party they met up with Luis, a dude who shared classes with Jess. Juno had the vaguest idea they were trying to set her up, but she wouldn’t argue right now. Sam and Jess would be married soon. Maybe they were just worried about her being alone.

“So here's to Sam and Juno, and their awesome LSAT victory!”  
“All right, all right, it's not that big a deal.”, Sam smiled. Either way, they all clink their glasses together.   
“Yeah, he acts all humble.”, Jess said, “But he scored a one seventy-four.”

Luis questions, “Is that good?”, and Juno refrains from rolling her eyes.   
“Scary good.”  
“So there you go. You are a first-round draft pick. You can go to any law school you want!”  
“Actually, I got an interview here. Monday. If it goes okay I think I got a shot at a full ride next year.”, Sam said, “Juno actually got an interview, too.” He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him, right into the attention of Luis. _Bastard_.   
“Hey. It's gonna go great. For the both of you!”, Jess cheered.  
“It better.”

“How does it feel to be the golden boy of your family?”, Luis grinned, while eyeing Juno a little closer. It was hard not to scrunch her nose at him.  
“Ah, they don't know.”  
“Oh, no, I would be gloating! Why not?”  
“Because we're not exactly the Bradys.”  
“And I'm not exactly the Huxtables. More shots?”

Jess and Sam whine together “No.” But Luis leaves for the bar anyway.  
“So you still haven’t talked to your brother at least?”  
“No.”, Sam looked at her with his puppy eyes, but she was pretty immune by now. “I don’t think he would understand.”

The silence on the table was unbearable. No one wanted to say something wrong, still Jason on their mind. _My brother is dead and you’re too much of a coward to call yours_, she thinks, bitter.

Then Jess picks up the topic before again. “Seriously. I'm proud of you. And you're gonna knock 'em dead on Monday and you're gonna get that full ride. I know it.”  
“What would we do without you?”

Well, that was something reasonable at least. Jess was the one that brought normality into this weird trio. Juno and Sam hadn’t really had the most conventional lives growing up, so Jess was the one who always brought them back into reality. Their reality.

“Crash and burn.”

And oh, how they would.

Luis came back with new shots, and the couple actually had the nerve to leave Juno with him, alone. They were actually trying to set her up! Juno had to admit, he was pretty smart, as long as they talked about books or something popcultural. The problem was that Juno was dyslexic and didn’t read much, and wasn’t really into TV shows either, but used most of her free time to train.   
Luis told her he thought that was “hot”, and she rolled her eyes and left him standing alone at the bar. Time to go to the dorm and use to her advantage that Paula probably was out partying all night.

It’s 2am when her phone rings. It’s Sam.  
“What the fuck, puppy.”  
“I’m sorry, Juno. Can you maybe pack yourself some clothes and come to our flat?”  
Suddenly she was wide awake. Sam sounded worried. “What’s going on?”  
“My brother paid me a visit, and I have to go help him with… a thing.”  
“And?” That couldn’t be everything.  
“The last few weeks I’ve been having this bad dream…”, Sams voice shakes, “Can you maybe stay with Jessica until I’m back? Just in case?”  
“Of course. She’ll be safe with me.”  
“I know. Thank you, Juno.”

When she arrived at the flat, Sam was talking to Jess. “It’s just a little family drama.”  
“Your brother said he was on some kind of hunting trip.”

If that isn’t the code word for quest then she doesn’t even know. Sam is packing a bag and Juno decides to introduce herself. “Hi.”  
A “What are you doing here?” and a “Thanks for coming.” hit her simultaneously.

“I was called for an all-girls sleepover. Haven’t done that for quite some time, haven’t we?”  
“Yeah”, Jess shrugs, but looks at her suspicious, “I guess we haven’t.”

“My dad’s just deer hunting up at the cabin, he's probably got Jim, Jack, and José along with him. I'm just going to go bring him back.”  
“What about the interview?”  
“I'll make the interview. This is only for a couple days. Juno will stay with you, so you won’t miss me too much.”

Juno kept quiet, letting them sort this out on their own. Sam stands with the bag and turns for the door, but Jess gets up from the bed.   
“Sam, I mean, please.”, she says and Sam stops and turns. “Just stop for a second. You sure you're okay?”  
“I’m fine.”, he laughs.  
Jess isn’t convinced. “It's just...you won't even talk about your family. And now you're taking off in the middle of the night to spend a weekend with them? And with Monday coming up, which is kind of a huge deal.”  
“Hey. Everything's going to be okay. I will be back in time, I promise.”

Sam kisses her on the cheek and takes his bag again.   
“At least tell me where you're going.”  
“Jericho, California.”

Once they’ve said their goodbyes, Juno sits down next to Jess. “So. Guess we’re alone now, huh?”  
Jess sighs. “I guess so. Has he told you anything else?”  
“No, he just called me to surprise you.”, Juno scratches the back of her head. “Might as well sleep for now. Let’s use our semester break tomorrow and do something fun. No need to wait for Sam, he’ll be back soon.”  
“Yeah, you’re right.”

And they did have a lot of fun the next days. Juno felt herself and Jess get more anxious the longer Sam was away, but he checked in daily, and was fine. There was no reason to worry. But even Juno has had a bad feeling this day. Sam was supposed to come back today, because his interview was tomorrow, hers wouldn’t be for another week.   
Juno touched her necklace more than usual, careful to not touch the lightning bolt though, until there was a reason to.

They were backing cookies for Sam as a welcome back gift, and they were rocking to songs on the radio. It had been a fun week, and Juno finally realized how much she had missed to spend time like that with Jessica. They had a few deeptalk sessions, and enjoyed each other’s company.

They had talked about Sam a lot, and Jess had actually surprised her very much. “You know, Sam loves you.”  
“Yeah, I know. He’s a dork.”  
“That’s not what I meant.”, Jess smiles. “I think he really loves you. He just hasn’t realized it yet.”  
“That’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard, Jess.”, Juno yelled, “Have you seen Sam with you? He is deeply in love with you!”  
“I know that. And I know I don’t have to be afraid or anything. I just think he loves you, somehow, too.”

Juno didn’t know what to answer.   
“It’s alright. You know, I actually researched it. Ever heard of Poly? It means that you can love more than one person at the same time.”  
“That’s---”  
“You don’t have to say anything. It’s just something I wanted you to know.”  
“Have you talked to him about this?”  
“No.”, she shrugs, “I don’t think he would take it that well. He needs to realize that on his own.”  
“If you want me to stay away-“  
“God, no. We both need you.”

Juno had been flying on that high for a long time. It’s not like she wanted anything from him, but to know that this is the way it is, she knew nothing could break their bond that easily. Juno didn’t really believe he loved her like that, romantically, but he at least deeply cared for her, and that felt incredible. Not to mention that Jessica trusted her and Sam so deeply that she had no trouble talking about stuff like that.

When the cookies were finally done, they put them on the counter and Jess wrote a little note for Sam. Juno was lying on the bed and searching for something to watch for them. She heard a knock on the door, and got up, just in case.  
It was Brady. “Just wanted to say hi. Is Sam around?”, is all that he asked, before his eyes went black.   
Juno expected everything but that. She had no idea what kind of monster that was supposed to be, or of it was a spell, or just the revenge of the gods. She grabbed her pendant, and held her sword in front of her in the next second, jumping in front of Jess. No one would hurt her on her watch. She promised.

“Jess, hide.”  
“What the fuck-“  
“I said hide!”

Juno charged at Brady, if it even was Brady, but he just laughed. “I don’t think so.”  
With a movement of his hand a force tackled into her and pinned her unto the wall. “I’m not here for you, sweetheart.”  
“Fuck off.”, she growled and cracked with electricity. Jess was stuck on the other wall, enough distance between them. Juno sent a shockwave his way, wind gathering around her – she hadn’t really noticed how powerful she actually had gotten since her camp halfblood days. There was a reason why children of the big three usually didn’t live past their teens.

“Oh well. More work than I was told.”, Brady said, and charged at her this time. He hit her full force – with more than human strength, that was for sure, and she stumbled back, unable to breathe. But she wouldn’t give up that easy.   
They fought, she tried to hit him with her sword and actually managed to slash him one time, but he bled red, like a normal human. “What are you?”, she yelled.  
“You’ll find out soon enough. Tell Sam best regards.” And then Brady-or-not-Brady stretches his hand in her direction, and Juno can’t breathe again. It felt like her insides were grabbed and squeezed in a metal grip. And then she blacked out.

She came to herself some time later, bound, and in the shower. Brady was squatting in front of her and smiling at her. He put a finger in front of his mouth. “Psst. It’s almost time.”  
Brady turned on the shower, making her soaking wet in the matter of seconds, but also more awake. Juno had a gag in her mouth, but she tried to scream. “Shut up.”, he whispered and covered her nose. The gag was filling with water, making it hard to breathe again. Gods, please don’t let her drown in a fucking shower. Not after the life she had.

Luckily water carries electricity, so she used it to shock him, and he let go of her nose, hissing.   
“NO!”, she heard.   
“You’re lucky it’s time or I would’ve killed you right now.”

Brady snapped his fingers and something roared in the next room. Then he vanished in front of her eyes. Fuck, how had it even come to this. There was more yelling in the room next to her, as she tried to get up. She felt like she had gotten the worst beat down in all of her life. It took a lot of her strength just to stand up, when the door crashed open. Sam rushed in and recognized her instantly, freeing her from her gag and bounds.

Another man followed him, and he grabbed Sam to pull him away. Sam also held her close, effectively dragging her with them.

Juno will never forget what she saw the moment she stepped into the bedroom. Fire was spreading all around the room, the source of it being a lifeless body on the ceiling. Jessica.   
“NO! Jessica!”, she screamed, but Sam didn’t let her go, and the other was still shoving them outside.

Outside, they let her sit down, because her legs don’t carry her farther. There are firetrucks parked on the side already. Juno is speechless. In that second, their planned normal life crashed and burned. As they knew it would happen. Because what ever would they do without Jessica?

After a while of refusing to be questioned by the firemen and the police, they left them alone. They were still watching the fire being fought, sitting on the sidewalk. Then the other one, Juno identified him as probably Sam’s brother, stood and walked back to his car. Sam’s face was set in a mask of desperate anger. “What happened?”, he only asked, but Juno shrunk into herself.   
“It was… nothing like I’ve ever seen before. This wasn’t Greek. And nothing roman that I’d know.”  
“What are you talking about?”, he exclaimed exasperated.   
“The monster. It was… It looked like Brady. But his eyes turned black. And he had that power… I didn’t stand a chance.”

“That was a demon.”  
“A demon? You mean like a Christian one? They aren’t real.”  
“Of course they are. What kind of hunter are you?”  
“Hunter?!”

Juno took a closer look at Sam and tried to remember him when they had first met. Had he changed since then? But Thalia would’ve recognized him if he was a hunter, wouldn’t she?  
“What do you mean a hunter? I’ve seen you age!”  
“Have you hit your head? Maybe we should get you checked out after all.”

“What the hell are you two talking about?”, the brother chimed in.  
“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”, Sam growled. “I thought you were a hunter, too?”  
“I’m not a hunter. I’m a demigod.”

“A demi- excuse me?”, the brother exclaimed.  
“Dean, please shut up for a second.”, Sam held his breath, “Demigod… as in child of a god?”  
“Yes! I thought you were one too!”

“Of course, I am not! What the fuck.”  
“Yes, what the fuck.”

They sat in silence, contemplating each other.   
“So… Are we going to give her to the paramedics?”  
“What?!”  
“I mean, demi-whatever don’t exist, so…”  
Juno just huffs.  
“I don’t know, Dean.”, Sam sighs, “I’ve actually seen some shit that makes sense this way. Either way, she is staying.”

“What do you mean she is staying?”, Dean asked exasperated. “This is family business!”  
“Yeah, what exactly do you mean?”, Juno chimed in.

“I’m going to hunt the thing responsible for this. Will you join us?”, he asked Juno. “They will pay for… for everything.” His voice cracked, and he started to cry.   
Junos eyes welled up as well. “I’m sorry, Sam. Of course, I will join you.”

“She isn’t a hunter, Sammy.”  
“But she is family. Get used to it.”

Finally, Sam stood up, wiping at his eyes, and stretched the hand out to Juno. She grabbed it and he pulled her on her feet. Together they walked to the car, in absolute despair. This was losing whatever normality Jess had given them. This was losing Jess, completely. This was grief.   
Sam, still angry, closed the trunk of the car.   
“We got work to do.”

And that was the start of everything.


End file.
